Britain is a nation of curtain twitchers according to a new study.
Researchers have found that more than half of Brits admit to keeping an eye on their neighbours’ comings and goings and regularly snoop on them to see what they’re up to.
Watching from the window, listening over the fence, looking through their rubbish and Googling how much they paid for the property are just some of the ways that Brits admit to keeping tabs on their neighbours.
Forty four per cent of the 2,000 adults polled said that they can’t resist having a nose if another resident on their street gets a delivery or has guests to visit. Despite this, most Brits don't consider themselves as nosy, instead saying that they think it is neighbourly to keep an eye on what's happening on their street.
The research was commissioned by Aunt Bessie’s, whose ad campaign features the characters Margaret and Mabel, two old ladies who don camouflage in the attempt to get a taste of a busy neighbouring family’s traditional midweek meal to see how it compares to theirs.
Lorraine Crowe, Marketing Controller at Aunt Bessie's, said: "Whether we like to admit it or not, this study confirms that keeping an eye on what the neighbours are up to is ingrained in the British psyche.”
“Being curious about what is going on in other people’s lives is natural, and we all do it to some degree. A lot of the time it is because we think that other people lead more interesting lives, and we are intrigued to know what they are doing. Just like we are glued to watching soaps, observing other people is fascinating. Spying on our neighbours might also be because we feel entitled to know what is going on in the neighbourhood, especially if it is something we have seen our mothers do.”
“We may not see ourselves as nosy, but this study shows more than half of us are prone to observing neighbourhood activity from the window, and can’t resist if there is something out of the ordinary going on like an argument or a delivery. The smallest things may catch our eye and make us curious enough to watch – a new car coming into the driveway, or simply the delivery of a new washing machine.”
“A big part of why we are interested to know more about people’s lives nowadays is also thanks to social media networks like Facebook and Twitter, where keeping a check on friends’ updates is commonplace. Going from our online, virtual world to real life can mean lines become blurred. Having a listen through the walls or inviting ourselves into our neighbours’ houses to have a nosy therefore seems standard.”
“The research interestingly reveals that snooping isn’t just confined to women either, with 80% of couples admitting that each one is as bad as each other. Taking an interest in other people’s lives is habit-forming – the more we do it, especially with a companion with whom we can share the findings, the more we find it hard to resist."
Most admitted to enjoying a good gossip about the comings and goings of the neighbours, with six in ten saying they notice a change in their routine just because their neighbours are on holiday. One in ten have gone as far as to invite themselves round to a neighbour’s house just to check out the décor, compare the size of their house, and generally be nosy.
Nearly half said they notice if they get deliveries, and the same amount keep an eye on where their guests park. A quarter know if their neighbours are having relationship problems and half keep track of new guests and visitors they haven’t seen before.
Women were the worst offenders when it came to spying on the comings and goings of the people in their street, although men were more likely to invite themselves round to a neighbour’s house or garden to have a snoop.
Eight out of ten couples say they are both as bad as one another, with one in six admitting to pretending to get things from the car when just to eavesdrop on their neighbours’ conversations. Despite this, a third say they feel less guilty as they are pretty confident that their neighbours spy on them.
Lorraine Crowe goes on to say: "The survey’s findings indicate that like Margaret and Mabel, the inquisitive ladies in Aunt Bessie’s TV adverts who keep an eye on the neighbourhood, we Brits are still a nation of curtain twitchers. Whether we want to find out what they’re having for dinner or who they’re having round, we continue to compare ourselves with our neighbours.”
“As Margaret and Mabel are surprised to discover in the adverts, keeping up with the Joneses has never been simpler thanks to Aunt Bessie’s easy-to-make Yorkshires – be it a Sunday roast or a non-traditional mid-week meal. Aunt Bessie’s is about providing a helping hand and doing all the hard work, so families have more time to spend together whatever day in the week.”
“Special meals shouldn’t be saved for just the weekend. Aunt Bessie’s extensive range includes creative vegetable combinations, great British puddings, and various pastry and stuffing mixes, as well as delicious main meals and Yorkshires, all lovingly created to provide good wholesome food all the family can enjoy any night of the week."
